Emergency Preparedness Costs Dip Into Budget

Broward County emergency officials said Tuesday their response to the threat of Hurricane Kate was smooth, efficient, systematic -- and comparatively inexpensive.

Final figures won`t be ready for a week, but an early estimate by county department heads of costs for transportation, provisions, overtime and cleanup was $30,000. Other charges will be paid by private agencies and cities.

In contrast, Hurricane David, which brushed past the county on Sept. 5, 1979, cost $688,000 for cleanup -- mostly to remove beach sand from roads in Fort Lauderdale. Much of the other damage during David was to agriculture.

For 17 hours as Kate crept west, officials kept a running inventory of man- hours and equipment. A critique is scheduled for today, and some county finance workers on Tuesday began their calculation of the total costs.

``By no means is it an inexpensive operation,`` said Arthur St. Amand, director of the emergency preparedness division. ``It`s going to cost. But this is a necessary part of government.``

This year`s preparedness budget is $218,000.

The apparent low costs during Kate were attributed partly to a surplus of supplies and equipment purchased last year but not used. The late-season storm came early in the fiscal year, before the funds for such emergencies run low.

The Sheriff`s Office called in several hundred deputies to work 12-hour shifts, said Col. Edward Werder, chief of staff.

``The real concern,`` he said, ``is if between June and Sept. 30 of next year we have a few more of these. This time, we have it in the budget.``

County officials did not calculate the value of man-hours lost when most of the 4,600 employees got a day off with pay Tuesday.

By morning, 140 handicapped and elderly people with special medical needs had taken refuge in three primary health-care centers financed entirely by the county.

It cost $4.48 to transport people each way to and from the shelters using vans provided by the social services transportation division.